The importance of Pelješac Bridge for Croatia is multiple. In the economic sense, it improves road connectivity with the southernmost parts of the country and thus facilitates the local economy. The improved connectivity enables better access to healthcare services and education for local residents.
The EU-funded project has enabled Croatia to restore its territorial continuity after 304 years. The territorial discontinuity was caused by a 1699 peace treaty under which the Dubrovnik Republic, or the Republic of Ragusa, ceded the stretch of the coast around Neum to the Ottoman Empire.
The bridge provides a direct road link between the southernmost part of Croatia and the rest of the country, which is currently cut off at Neum, where Bosnia and Herzegovina has access to the Adriatic Sea.
Work on the bridge officially started on 31 July 2018 and the bridge was fully joined together at a ceremony on 29 July 2021.
The entire project, including access roads, cost €525 million, of which €357 million was secured as a grant from the European Union.
